


Oniisan

by Aria6



Series: A Coyote's Stories [63]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Aizen is a bastard - a sneaky bastard, Arrancar as Shinigami, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-28
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-20 02:21:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3633078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria6/pseuds/Aria6
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Author's Note: This is sort of an AU where the Espada are all souls from the Rukongai. Honestly, I can totally see Aizen doing this. XD</p>
    </blockquote>





	Oniisan

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This is sort of an AU where the Espada are all souls from the Rukongai. Honestly, I can totally see Aizen doing this. XD

"You know, Lilynette, there are two things that determine your success in life." Starrk drawled before taking a deep drag of his cigarette. He felt like his chest was burning with leftover rage. Only the taste of the tobacco could begin to calm the fire. "The social strata you are born in and the date of your birth. Hit the wrong life events and you will never, ever be as successful as you could be." He'd read a book on that, something he'd found in a pawn shop. Lilynette propped her chin in her hand, gazing at him thoughtfully. "If we had only been born a thousand years ago, they would probably have taken us to prove how 'inclusive' they are. Now, the scum quota is filled."

"So basically you're saying we were fucked before we were even born? Awesome." She said and Starrk shrugged before taking a swig of alcohol. It was nasty, as hard on his throat as the unfiltered cigarette, but he didn't care. "Hey, at least that means I can blame you!"

"Yes. I never should have made you." He said sourly and she blinked at the tone.

"Um… hey, calm down. You knew they'd probably do that." Lilynette said after a moment and Starrk hand tightened on his glass before he finished the home brewed crap and signaled for another. The bartender served him without a question. "I mean, you knew what they said to Grimmjow!"

"I know, but I'd hoped…" He'd introduced himself with his father's name. He'd hoped that would win the guards over. Unfortunately, his father's family was a bit _too_ exalted. The gate guards had just laughed. "Oh well. Back to being common criminals." Actually, that wasn't true. With his reiatsu he wasn't going to be just a common criminal. The thought made Starrk smirk. He'd already found a man who was willing to teach him. It was very expensive, of course, but the services of a renegade shinigami did not come cheap. And the man with black skin and sightless eyes was a wonderful teacher.

"Whatever, you've drunk enough." Lilynette grabbed the glass out of his hand and drank the remainder, making her father scowl at her. "Let's go meet up with Grimmy. You can tell him what happened and bitch a lot. Maybe get in a fistfight." That sounded… immensely appealing. Starrk stood, cracking his knuckles. Lilynette noticed that immediately. "No killing people."

"I'll try." He was feeling feisty, to say the least. "How about I don't kill anyone unless they try to kill me?" And that was fairly likely to happen, honestly. Someone might draw a knife. Lilynette made a face before shrugging.

"Fine, whatever. Let's go." Then they were out the door and Starrk smiled as he gazed at the sun. It was early afternoon and soon it would be setting. A perfect time to begin a spree.

He was going to have… fun.

* * *

_Decades later._

_I've practiced for this for so long._ Starrk watched the man across from him with narrowed eyes. If he looked closely, he could trace the lines of resemblance, the heritage of their father. Did the other man see it? From the smile on his face, he doubted it.

"You seem a bit upset with me, Espada-san. Yet, I can't remember ever meeting you before." The man in pink said lightly and Starrk smiled as he drew his sword. The other man pulled his free with a flourish.

"You can blame our father for that, Oniisan." Starrk said and was pleased to see grey eyes go wide. "He forgot to mention the birthday present that kept giving? How remiss of him." His mother had been an exotic dancer and whore, hired to entertain at his father's birthday party.

"What?! But he's been senile for almost a hundred years!" Kyoraku exclaimed and Starrk shrugged.

"I'm a hundred and twenty-three years old. A child of his old age, hmm?" He said lightly and saw the other man swallow. "And my fraccion there is your lovely niece. Not that anyone would ever acknowledge her as such." And that still rankled, even after a century. He moved like the wind, then, attacking with all his power and skill. The other man dodged and blocked every blow but refused to take the opening Starrk gave him. "If you refuse to fight you won't be able to win."

"Why didn't you come to the Seireitei?" The man asked, disregarding Starrk's words as he blocked another blow of his sword. "Why didn't you become a shinigami?" There was such a strange look in his eyes. Betrayal? Something like it. Starrk laughed and it was a harsh, bitter sound.

"I did." Starrk's eyes narrowed as the other man left an opening and he registered it as a feint. "Much better… I was told there was no room in your halls for lying, stinking trash like myself." Their blades clashed as Starrk attacked fiercely. He was angry just thinking about it. The look on Shunsui's face was very serious as he met the attacks.

"Did it not occur to you, Espada-san, that those guards might have owed their loyalty to Aizen?" He said seriously and Starrk snorted. When Tosen had moved to properly recruit him and he'd realized the renegade shinigami was something quite different, that thought had gone through his mind. But…

"There were five of them. The two who rejected me and the three who watched. Either he has many agents in your ranks or it's just the general sentiment." Starrk's tone was acerbic as he continued. "Grimmjow tried too. Halibel actually tried twice, completely different guards each time. Perhaps you should check your records and see when was the last time you took a recruit directly from the Rukongai, without sponsorship." Was that all Aizen's doing? Perhaps. Starrk could easily see him encouraging the attitudes, making it harder and harder for new recruits to be taken in. And that talent festering in the Rukongai… it was such an easy pool for him to pull from, gather to his banner. Yet, did it make any difference? Not really. "Aizen taught us our powers and this is his price. We will take our place in the heavens by force." Gripping his weapon tightly, Starrk suddenly called for his shikai. "Kick About, Los Lobos!"

"Katen Kyokotsu." That took their struggle to the next level. Although Starrk was uneasily aware that there was another level… one he could not reach. Halibel and Hitsugaya were fighting on even footing, bankai to bankai. Yet, she was much older than himself and Grimmjow. And for most people, mastering a bankai took time… more time than he'd been given. And, of course…

"Do you have a bankai, Espada-san?" Shunsui asked and Starrk refused to answer, countering the blows of those black swords with his own twin blades. "Why were you ranked above her?"

_Because of my skill with kido._ That, along with his insanely powerful reiatsu, had led Aizen to rank him above both Halibel and Barragan despite his lack of a bankai. He hadn't shown Shunsui his skill with kido yet. When would he? There would be a good time…

Starrk decided the time was ripe when Shunsui started to play his games. He wasn't interested in playing and when the man tried to trap him in a cyclone and attack from on high –

"Triple-Piercing Beam!" Starrk put immense power into it and Shunsui's eyes went wide as he just barely avoided the ray of force. "Winding Chains." That was even more difficult for him and one of Shunsui's arms was briefly caught before he managed to free himself.

From that point onwards, the battle became difficult for them both. Starrk had to cope with Shunsui's shikai but the other man found he was engaging a kido master, one with the strength of a powerful taichou. Shunsui's face was shiny with sweat when he smiled and spoke.

"This is like fighting Nanao-chan! So this is why you're the Primera!" He seemed cheerful about it and Starrk grit his teeth. Was he not being taken seriously?

"Yes, Tosen said I was his greatest pupil." Starrk said shortly as Shunsui smiled.

"Ah, but Tosen is not the best kido instructor…" He said before attacking fiercely again. Starrk felt almost offended. Tosen had taught him remarkable things! What more was there to learn?

Unfortunately, he found out when the fat man joined the battle. He could use spells that Starrk had never seen before, things that were clearly put together on the fly yet intricately done. It was a virtuoso performance and soon he was simply overwhelmed. He was panting hard, struggling to stay oriented and keep fighting when he felt warm breath in his ear.

"I'm sorry… Otouto." _No!_ Starrk tried frantically to lunge away, call another kido, but a powerful binding snagged his arms and forced them against his sides. He had no time to break it before he was impaled from behind. A choked off groan left his lips and he was painfully aware of his failure. The blade was roughly extracted from his lower chest and Starrk vaguely saw the gush of blood as he began to fall out of the sky…

"STARRK!" _Ah, no._ Starrk grunted as thin arms went around him. _Lilynette…_ He wished she wasn't seeing this. And what would become of her, without him? Nothing good. He only hoped the shinigami didn't put her to death out of hand… "Dad, no!" Dad? It had been so long since she'd called him that. "You can't die!" She was breaking his fall and Starrk felt it as he hit the cold stone with only a small bump. Thin hands were resting on him then, lit with the warm glow of healing kido. He watched with heavy lidded eyes, feeling tired and sleepy. He doubted Lilynette was accomplishing much. "Stay awake! Don't you dare fall asleep!"

_I'm sorry, Lilynette._ Starrk couldn't find his voice, but he could still move his hand… he managed to rest a gloved hand on her knee, giving her a weak squeeze. _I love you. Be safe._ He was vaguely aware of a shadow falling over him and Lilynette's raised voice as he fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

Starrk had fully expected to never awaken again.

That was what made his return to consciousness such a surprise. He slowly blinked his eyes, feeling deeply confused. While it was tempting to think that he was dead, his body hurt in unmentionable ways. Wasn't death an end to pain? And Hell was supposed to be considerably more painful.

Then he moved his head, feeling the warm blankets… and the clink of chains. Glancing down, he realized there was a collar of black seki-stone around his throat. It had chains, shackling him to the bed. And the entire room was very plain and smelled of antiseptic. As his mind cleared, Starrk realized what had happened. _I am alive and a prisoner._ Wonderful. Frowning, he began to examine his bonds. He had to break out of here. If he didn't they would kill him, sooner or later.

"Starrk?" Blinking he turned his head to see that Lilynette was with him. Her hopeful stare quickly turned into a glare when she saw he was awake. "You asshole! You've been in a coma for three days! Never scare me like that again!"

"…Hn." He muttered before looking back at the chains. Surely there was some kind of weak point. Lilynette spoke again, her voice soft.

"That guy, my uncle… he's been by to talk to me a few times. He acts like I'm a kid though." She sounded frustrated and Starrk knew why. Lilynette had suffered the problem common to youngsters with high reiatsu… her growth was coming in fits and starts. She was no more a child than the ice taichou, although her power was still much weaker. She had her shikai, though, just like her father. "What are we gonna do?" Her voice was almost a whisper now and Starrk grimaced.

"Escape." They had to escape. If they didn't, Starrk was a dead man. Lilynette might be allowed to live but probably not. They were only worthless scum, after all. "We – ah." The door had opened and one of the healers was stepping into the room. She was a very tall woman with silver hair.

"Oh, Espada-san! You're awake. How are you feeling?" Her cheer seemed forced to Starrk. He grunted.

"Fine." He had no interest in speaking to the woman. He just wanted her to go away so he could continue examining the locks. However, she wasn't going away too quickly… she insisted on checking his wounds and Starrk stared away blankly as she told him he was lucky to be alive. He didn't necessarily agree…

She left and for a time Starrk was able to examine his bonds. There was a lock, holding the chains in place. If he could only pick it… then another person entered his room and Starrk almost groaned in frustration. But then he registered the pink and gazed at his 'brother' with hooded eyes. He resented Shunsui for so many things but he let none of it reach his expression, holding to a mask of indifference.

"Ah, Otouto! It's good to see you awake." He said cheerfully and Starrk couldn't stop his lip from curling. That seemed like a mockery, given his probable fate. Kyoraku Shunsui saw that in his expression, though, and his smile faded just a touch. "It may interest you to know that with a review of the records, we've found that the last shinigami to be taken from the Rukongai without 'sponsorship' was almost two hundred years ago." He said softly and Starrk just gazed at him. What did it matter now? "And we interviewed all the 'sponsored' ones. They reported that the barriers and prejudices they encountered were severe."

"So we're right. So what? What're you going to do with us?" Lilynette asked sharply and Starrk closed his eyes for a moment. That was the question. There was a sigh and he felt his bed dip as his 'brother' joined him on it.

"There will be a trial. But we'll put this to Central 46 as an unfortunate consequence of Aizen's plots. He's clearly been working to keep talent from the Rukongai to himself." Shunsui said and Starrk opened his eyes, gazing at the other man. His expression seemed open and sincere. "You haven't actually hurt anyone. It's likely you will be allowed to join the Gotei 13, under supervision."

"Mmm. And what of the others?" Starrk didn't trust any of this and if it was happening at all, he thought perhaps his family name was finally doing him some favors. Perhaps his 'brother' felt badly and was taking action on his behalf. "Surely some of them survived." He was fairly sure Halibel had. Shunsui frowned, just a touch.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Tia Halibel survived. Grimmjow will almost certainly be sentenced to death for his attacks on Kurosaki Ichigo." He sounded like that made him uncomfortable and Starrk sighed to himself. It was true, Grimmjow had tried to murder the boy. Still… "Halibel, we're not too sure about. She badly injured several people and her fraccion were killed in the battle." From the look on his face, Shunsui was aware of what that meant for Halibel's future loyalties.

"Mmm." Starrk nodded. "I see." He kept his voice level, his expression completely serene. "Grimmjow has certainly earned his punishment." Which wasn't to say he agreed with it. Lilynette shifted beside him and he reached out a hand to touch her. He did not want her to betray their true feelings. "Still, I find it difficult to believe that I will be spared." He was obscenely powerful, despite his lack of a bankai. And in only a few centuries he would have corrected that. Shunsui grinned, then.

"Oh, the kido corps is practically salivating at the thought of getting their hands on you!" Starrk couldn't hide his disbelief and Shunsui chuckled. "They like to steal away any shinigami with talent. You wouldn't believe how hard it was for me to keep Nanao away from them! And if you enjoyed learning from Tosen, you'll love what they'll have to show you."

"…Mmm." Starrk thought about it wistfully for a moment. He really would enjoy that. Kido was his passion… but there was more at stake then himself. "I see. Well, I can only wait." He jerked his chin towards the locks. Shunsui chuckled before standing.

"It shouldn't be too long. We're actually moving swiftly!" He probably meant that to be reassuring but to Starrk it was anything but. "I look forward to getting to know you, Otouto." That made Starrk wince inside because it sounded like Shunsui really met it.

"Me as well." _If only I could._ Starrk waited until the man was safely gone before glancing at Lilynette. She was looking furious, now.

"Starrk! Are we really gonna let them…?" Her voice was a small hiss and he shook his head.

"No." They couldn't allow Grimmjow and Halibel to die. "But we should wait until later before I try to figure something out." He knew a way to make a lockpick with nothing but his hair and some blood. It wasn't very good, however.

Fortunately, that proved to be unnecessary. When the light fell and most of the activity in the Division went to almost nothing, the two of them went to work. And Lilynette was lucky enough to find something, stuck into the mattress of the bed.

"Oi, Starrk! I got a pin." She hissed and he smiled widely as the little thing was pressed into his hand.

"Perfect." Managing to wedge himself so he could reach, he began serious work on the lock. His career had started with thievery and he'd never let his skills go dull… Starrk grunted in satisfaction as he felt it beginning to give under his attentions. It was a good lock, but not that good and they'd neglected to seal it with kido…

The lock finally popped open and Starrk passed Lilynette the pin before beginning the laborious process of working the chains free. Finally, he had them out of the way and peered down at his collar. That could be trickier…

"Hey Starrk, let me." Starrk held still as Lilynette went to work on his collar. If anything, she was even better with locks than he was. Soon, the black seki stone fell away. "Those dumbasses…" She muttered as he started to work on her locks and chains. "They never even asked about my mom. Stupid."

"Mmm hmm." Halibel had never been much of a mother to Lilynette, but they were still mother and daughter. Starrk grunted as he finished freeing his daughter. "Let's find the others, and our weapons." That last might be tricky but they needed their zanpakuto.

Grimmjow, when they found him, was busy with a lockpick made of hair and blood. He wasn't getting anywhere and greeted them both with a silent grin. Starrk smiled back before going to work as Lilynette whispered an explanation of what they were doing. Soon he was free and the third was Halibel. She greeted them with quiet relief and a small smile for her daughter. From the knowing look in her eyes, she knew exactly why they were doing this. Starrk wasn't too surprised. Halibel had likely known what he would do the instant she'd heard he was alive…

Getting their zanpakuto was the greatest challenge. Starrk rendered several shinigami unconscious with his kido. Grimmjow would have killed them but he held the man back. Starrk thought there was no point in making things worse. When they finally had their zanpakuto they headed out into the night, intent on returning to the place they belonged… the great slums of the Rukongai. The shinigami would have a hard time finding them, amid the teaming hordes of humanity.

The next day, all the shinigami would have of their prisoners would be empty chains and a note.

_Shunsui,_

_I'm sorry about this. However, everything in life is connected. Grimmjow is roughly my own age… we grew up together, in the Rukongai. We often scavenged for food together and as we grew older, I joined him in his robberies and other schemes. I didn't really approve of what he was doing with Kurosaki, which is why I never helped. But he's still my best friend._

_As for Halibel… you know, you never asked about Lilynette's mother. Did you assume she was dead? Well, Tia was never much of a mother. She didn't want a daughter and dumped the child on me as soon as she could. It was all a drunken mistake, but one I deeply treasure. And for good or ill, Halibel is Lilynette's mother. I can't let her die._

_It's a shame, really. I think I would have liked knowing you. But it seems my loyalties are fated to lie elsewhere. So, this is goodbye. If we meet again it will likely be to cross blades again. So, I hope we never meet._

_Farewell, Oniisan._


End file.
